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Senior editor salary
Average senior editor salary
$90,094
Understanding Senior Editor Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Senior Editor is approximately $90,094 per year. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, Senior Editors in major metropolitan areas often command higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.
In addition to salary, Senior Editors may also benefit from bonuses, profit sharing, and other incentives. The highest paying industries for Senior Editors include technology, publishing, and media. Exploring job opportunities across different sectors can uncover lucrative positions that align with your expertise.
If you're considering a career as a Senior Editor, understanding the salary landscape is essential. Use Zippia's resources to compare salaries by state and identify where you can earn more. This knowledge will empower you to make informed decisions about your career path and negotiate effectively when the time comes.
Let Zippia find your next senior editor job
Let Zippia find your next senior editor job
Where can a Senior Editor earn more?
Senior editor salary estimates from across the web
Average senior editor salary by state
The average senior editor salary in Connecticut, California, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior editor salary states are South Dakota, Iowa, and Missouri.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior editors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $100,361 | $48.25 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $104,135 | $50.06 |
| 3 | California | $104,110 | $50.05 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $101,551 | $48.82 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $101,399 | $48.75 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $93,650 | $45.02 |
| 7 | Washington | $89,887 | $43.21 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $92,748 | $44.59 |
| 9 | Virginia | $88,145 | $42.38 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $87,572 | $42.10 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $87,152 | $41.90 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $86,172 | $41.43 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $86,340 | $41.51 |
| 14 | Vermont | $84,533 | $40.64 |
| 15 | Idaho | $85,201 | $40.96 |
| 16 | Nevada | $83,753 | $40.27 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $78,671 | $37.82 |
| 18 | Georgia | $83,987 | $40.38 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $83,515 | $40.15 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | $83,597 | $40.19 |
| 21 | Tennessee | $81,156 | $39.02 |
| 22 | Colorado | $80,911 | $38.90 |
| 23 | Illinois | $80,871 | $38.88 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $80,955 | $38.92 |
| 25 | Michigan | $80,351 | $38.63 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $80,900 | $38.89 |
| 27 | Arizona | $81,592 | $39.23 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $81,122 | $39.00 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $78,223 | $37.61 |
| 30 | Maine | $83,791 | $40.28 |
| 31 | Delaware | $80,464 | $38.68 |
| 32 | Florida | $75,703 | $36.40 |
| 33 | Maryland | $67,830 | $32.61 |
| 34 | Alabama | $77,086 | $37.06 |
| 35 | Oregon | $65,344 | $31.42 |
| 36 | Texas | $71,499 | $34.37 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $70,155 | $33.73 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $77,334 | $37.18 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $71,563 | $34.41 |
| 40 | Utah | $61,360 | $29.50 |
| 41 | Ohio | $69,749 | $33.53 |
| 42 | Alaska | $57,621 | $27.70 |
| 43 | Montana | $62,038 | $29.83 |
| 44 | Indiana | $65,240 | $31.37 |
| 45 | Missouri | $58,582 | $28.16 |
| 46 | Kansas | $61,211 | $29.43 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $52,981 | $25.47 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $65,463 | $31.47 |
| 49 | Iowa | $58,789 | $28.26 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $60,006 | $28.85 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $56,030 | $26.94 |
Highest paying cities for senior editors
The highest-paying cities for senior editors are San Francisco, CA, Stamford, CT, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $111,023 | $53.38 |
| 2 | Stamford, CT | $104,255 | $50.12 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $101,582 | $48.84 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $100,503 | $48.32 |
| 5 | Lynnwood, WA | $90,319 | $43.42 |
| 6 | Reston, VA | $88,384 | $42.49 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $87,910 | $42.26 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $87,169 | $41.91 |
| 9 | Atlanta, GA | $84,072 | $40.42 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $81,120 | $39.00 |
| 11 | Brentwood, TN | $81,073 | $38.98 |
| 12 | Denver, CO | $80,782 | $38.84 |
| 13 | Detroit, MI | $80,696 | $38.80 |
| 14 | Wilmington, DE | $80,547 | $38.72 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $78,894 | $37.93 |
| 16 | Birmingham, AL | $76,666 | $36.86 |
| 17 | Fort Myers, FL | $75,760 | $36.42 |
| 18 | Austin, TX | $71,823 | $34.53 |
| 19 | Milwaukee, WI | $70,362 | $33.83 |
| 20 | Indianapolis, IN | $65,102 | $31.30 |
Senior editor salary details
A senior editor's salary ranges from $66,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $121,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior editor's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $121,000 | $10,083 | $58 |
| 75th Percentile | $105,000 | $8,750 | $50 |
| Average | $90,094 | $7,508 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
Highest paying senior editor jobs
The highest paying types of senior editors are managing editor, senior writer, and senior copywriter.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal Writer | $68,706 | $5,725 | $33.03 | 18,125 |
| Editorial Internship | $32,356 | $2,696 | $15.56 | 51,667 |
| Editor & Producer | $50,200 | $4,183 | $24.13 | 14,409 |
| Technical Writer And Editor | $65,088 | $5,424 | $31.29 | 78,617 |
| Production Editor | $53,275 | $4,440 | $25.61 | 62,877 |
| Writer And Editor | $61,482 | $5,124 | $29.56 | 14,865 |
Top companies hiring senior editors now:
Which companies pay senior editors the most?
Senior editor salaries at Apple and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior editor salary at companies like The Walt Disney Company and Bloomberg are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $129,173 | $62.10 |
| 2 | Lincoln Institute of Land Policy | $113,530 | $54.58 |
| 3 | The Walt Disney Company | $111,277 | $53.50 |
| 4 | Bloomberg | $110,150 | $52.96 |
| 5 | Yahoo | $109,225 | $52.51 |
| 6 | Discovery | $108,945 | $52.38 |
| 7 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $108,521 | $52.17 |
| 8 | JUUL | $108,265 | $52.05 |
| 9 | Amazon | $107,964 | $51.91 |
| 10 | AbbVie | $107,561 | $51.71 |
| 11 | Edelman Financial Engines | $106,680 | $51.29 |
| 12 | The Economist Newspaper Group | $105,757 | $50.84 |
| 13 | BNY Mellon | $105,181 | $50.57 |
| 14 | The New York Times Company | $104,961 | $50.46 |
| 15 | Middle East Institute | $103,036 | $49.54 |
| 16 | SAIC | $102,898 | $49.47 |
| 17 | Chewy | $102,052 | $49.06 |
| 18 | ViacomCBS | $99,975 | $48.06 |
| 19 | $99,483 | $47.83 | |
| 20 | NBCUniversal | $98,936 | $47.57 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Editor salary by industry
The average senior editor salary varies across industries:
- The average senior editor salary in the finance industry is $87,572, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior editor salary in the finance industry is $84,358.
- Senior editors in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $75,984, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior editors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $87,572 | $42.10 |
| 2 | Professional | $84,358 | $40.56 |
| 3 | Media | $83,617 | $40.20 |
| 4 | Internet | $81,585 | $39.22 |
| 5 | Hospitality | $75,984 | $36.53 |
High paying senior editor jobs
Senior editor salary trends
The average senior editor salary has risen by $15,660 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior editor earned $74,434 annually, but today, they earn $90,094 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for senior editors over the last decade.
Compare senior editor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior editor salary over time
Compare senior editor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior editor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $90,100 | $43.31 | +3.2% |
| 2025 | $87,200 | $41.93 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $84,500 | $40.64 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $83,500 | $40.15 | +2.7% |
| 2022 | $81,300 | $39.09 | +2.1% |
Recently added senior editor salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springernature | Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Communications and Nature Neuroscience | New York, NY | 06/30/2025 | $80,000 |
| Global Channel Management, Inc. | Remote Senior Math Editor | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $100,176 |
| Cox Holdings, Inc. | Senior Editor, Politics (AJC) | Atlanta, GA | 06/28/2025 | $90,100 |
| Springernature | Associate Editor or Senior Editor, Nature Water | Washington, DC | 06/28/2025 | $80,000 |
| Sinclair Broadcast Group | SR. Editor, Rapid Response Team | Cockeysville, MD | 06/27/2025 | $90,000 |
| Bibleproject | Senior Editor | Portland, OR | 06/27/2025 | $84,000 |
| Springer Nature | Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Communications (Polymer Chemistry) | Fine, NY | 06/22/2025 | $80,000 |
| Pace | Senior Editor-Logistics | Greensboro, NC | 06/21/2025 | $62,610 |
| National Academy of Engineering | Senior Editor-Transportation Research Board | Key Center, WA | 06/20/2025 | $88,450 |
| The Walt Disney Company | Senior Editor (Editorial) National Geographic DC | Washington, DC | 06/19/2025 | $94,200 |
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